Jason Carter and Martin Nance longed to prove to all the NFL teams that passing them up in April’s draft was a mistake.

But although the two rookie receivers have been Vikings the entire season, Carter and Nance haven’t been able to state their cases when it matters most: game days.

They may get their chance finally on Sunday.

“It’s been real hard,” Carter said. “I felt there were plays I could have made, with the skills I was blessed with. But in the same sense, everything happens for a reason. My mom always taught me that patience was a virtue.”

Neither Carter nor Nance is sure to play in the season finale, Vikings coach Brad Childress said Friday. But both have received a lot of repetitions in practice this week, and both have been putting in a lot of overtime in preparation for their first meaningful opportunity. After Friday’s practice, Nance took extra passes from practice squad quarterback Drew Henson, and Carter spent about 15 minutes talking to offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell.

“I feel like I can play with all those guys (that got drafted at receiver),” Nance said. “I definitely feel I was worthy of it. But I’m just really excited about the opportunity and working hard to prepare myself. We’re all looking forward to going out on a good note.”

After being released by the Buffalo Bills in training camp, Nance has spent the entire season on the Vikings’ practice squad until this week. Carter was promoted from the practice squad to the active roster for the Monday night game against New England on Oct. 30. Carter even dressed for the game, but he stood on the sideline the entire game and returned to the practice squad for two weeks before his final promotion to the 53-man roster.

“It was hard,” Carter said. “You dress, and you’re ready to go. But ”

Given a third- to fifth-round draft grade, Carter was an explosive receiver and return specialist at Texas AM. But he went undrafted and vowed to show clubs what they missed out on.

“When it didn’t happen, I was like, ‘OK, I got a chip on my shoulder now, and I’ll make the teams that passed on me see that they messed up,’ ” Carter said. “But Minnesota got me and I’m happy to be here and I’ll make them proud.”

So what do they bring to the table?

Let rookie starting quarterback Tarvaris Jackson explain.

Jackson on Carter: “He isn’t the fastest, and he isn’t the biggest guy. But he knows how to get open, and he catches every ball. And when you get the ball in his hands, he’s going to make people miss.

“He’s going to play hard for you, which is what you want.”

Jackson on Nance: “He’s just smooth. It don’t look like he’s running that fast, but he flies. He reminds me of Marvin Harrison. He does stuff that vets do. He’s smooth and quiet, but he just goes out there and makes plays.”

Veteran receiver Travis Taylor said Nance is mature beyond his years, a product of playing with Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger at Miami of Ohio. As a sophomore in 2003, Nance set school records with 90 catches for 1,498 yards.

“He has the most football knowledge of a young guy I’ve been around,” Taylor said. “He’s got a natural feel for the game. A lot of guys learn that later on down the line. But he’s learned that already.”

Taylor said Nance is patient, and he understands the nuances of angles and techniques.

Carter gave the Vikings a glimpse of his potential in the preseason, when he led the team in receiving touchdowns (two), including a 77-yarder, and receiving yards (155) on only four catches.

“I do consider myself a playmaker,” Carter said. “I feel every time the ball is in my hands, something positive is going to happen.”

At the beginning of the season, Carter and Jackson spent a lot of extra time working together after practices. Carter was on the practice squad and Jackson was the third-string quarterback, which means neither got many reps. They developed a rapport, and the two, playing on the scout team, started to make plays that frustrated the Vikings’ starting defense. Early in the week, at least.

“They’d get mad,” Jackson said. “But then later in the week, they know the plays we’re running, so it wasn’t fair. If we were going to get them, it was going to have to be on Wednesday, when the plays are new.”

Both young receivers have tempered their goals for Sunday. They both just want to play consistently and make the routine plays.

“When I do touch the field, I don’t care if it’s for one play. I don’t care if it’s for one block,” Carter said. “That defender is going to know I was there, and coaches will have good tape (of me).

“I’m going to show why I belong in the NFL.”

Sean Jensen can be reached at sjensen@pioneerpress.com.

As you comment, please be respectful of other commenters and other viewpoints. Our goal with article comments is to provide a space for civil, informative and constructive conversations. We reserve the right to remove any comment we deem to be defamatory, rude, insulting to others, hateful, off-topic or reckless to the community. See our full terms of use here.

Jamal Crawford turns 38 years old on Tuesday, but don't expect him to go over the top with his birthday celebration. Aging isn't really Crawford's thing. The veteran Timberwolves guard has laughed in the face of Father Time for years. Just on Sunday, two days before a birthday few NBA players see during their professional careers, Crawford scored 20 points...

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Twins second baseman Brian Dozier always makes an effort to bond with his keystone partner at shortstop. Since the second half of 2016, that has been young Jorge Polanco. So it was with great sadness that Dozier was forced to react Monday morning to news of Polanco’s 80-game steroid suspension, handed down on Sunday by Major...

If the Minnesota Vikings win the Super Bowl, credit Zygi Wilf for signing Kirk Cousins. If they don’t, blame Rick Spielman. Wilf last week guaranteed Cousins $84 million for the next three seasons in his quest to win the NFL’s Lombardi Trophy. Wilf, who has owned the Vikings for 13 years, clearly has Super Bowl fever. A day after Cousins’...

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Twins third baseman Miguel Sano has known Jorge Polanco since they were 12-year-old baseball prodigies in San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic. So, it was an emotional conversation Sunday between the two teammates after Major League Baseball announced it was suspending Polanco 80 games for testing positive for a steroid. “It’s bad right now,” Sano...

Eric Staal chuckled at a question after Monday's morning skate. With the 33-year-old Wild forward closing in on 40 goals for the third time in his career, a reporter asked whether he would have believed it if someone told him before the season that he would be flirting with that milestone now considering his career was left for the dead...